


Needs Must

by Sister_Grimm



Series: Fight Club [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Asexual Character, Consenual Violence, Did I mention the pining?, Enemies With Benefits, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, so much pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-22 01:25:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9575723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sister_Grimm/pseuds/Sister_Grimm
Summary: This thing with Reggie doesn't mean anything, it's just needs must.





	

**Author's Note:**

> They will pry homoromantic ace Jughead from my cold dead hands. And also we need more non-sexual intimacy stories

He's at Pop's with Archie, Betty and Veronica and his phone has vibrated four times in the last ten minutes. Lighting up face down against the linoleum table top, and he keeps ignoring it.

"Shouldn't you answer it?", Veronica asks, raising an eyebrow.

Jughead shrugs as he takes a sip of his milkshake but he flips his phone over. All four messages are from Reggie.

_Can we..._

_I need to see you_

_Please?_

_C'mon, Jug, don't be like this_

__He sighs, blinking under the bright lights and he shoves a handful of fries in his mouth. "Gotta go.", he mumbles, grabbing his remaining burger._ _

He pulls out his phone. _I'll meet you at the park_

__It's a longish walk as he navigates into a dark secluded part of the park. "Hello?", he calls out._ _

__"There you are.", Reggie says and he sounds a little more relaxed than his texts made him sound._ _

__"What do you want, Reggie?", he says with an aggrieved sigh._ _

__"What, did you have something better to do?", Reggie snaps._ _

__He thinks back to Archie smiling under the lights at Pops and shrugs, "Maybe."_ _

__Reggie almost flinches, or at least Jughead thinks that's what's happening. He sighs, looking around, as though someone would be walking by right now. "Ok, what do you need."_ _

__"Come at me, Nightmare Before Christmas."_ _

__Jughead rolls his eyes but squares up, hands by his face and then he lashes out, a solid cross and Reggie ducks, and throws his own punch. Jughead blocks it an inch from his face. They go back and forth until Reggie is on the ground, nose bleeding and breathing hard. He raises his hand to his lip which is split. And he sits down beside Reggie._ _

__"I know we don't talk about Fight Club but what is going on with you?"_ _

__He's been wondering this all day. Ever since Reggie hit Archie in the student lounge. That was out of character. Reggie hasn't threatened him at school since they started this whole two man fight club situation._ _

__Reggie shrugs and won't meet his eyes. "What's the deal with you and Andrews."_ _

__"What?", Jughead blinks, whatever he was expecting Reggie to say - girl trouble, parent trouble, school trouble - it's not this. "Are you ... jealous?", Jughead asks quietly._ _

__Reggie still won't look at him and he screws up his face in distaste. "Can you play with my hair?"_ _

__Jughead sighs, he knows Reggie's avoiding the question (and he strongly suspect this means he's right), "Yeah. Yeah, I can do that." Reggie doesn't ask for this often, usually getting knocked down is enough. The last time he had asked for this when Jughead had almost broken his nose after a fight with his dad._ _

__"How do you want me?", Reggie asks._ _

__Jughead arranges him with his head in his lap. "Dude, are you hard?", Reggie asks in confusion._ _

__Jughead shrugs. "Adrenaline. It's pretty common. Still doesn't mean I'm interested in you anywhere near my dick."_ _

__Reggie shrugs, "Works for me." Jughead sighs again, running his fingers through Reggie's hair. The silky strands slip between his fingers and he can see Reggie's eyes flicker close. He twists a few strands into a rope and tries to curl it around his fingers._ _

__Reggie sighs quietly as Jughead scratches at his head. "So...Archie?", he probes quietly._ _

__"No idea what you're talking about.", Reggie mutters, eyes still closed._ _

__"Reggie... This thing isn't going to work if you aren't honest with me."_ _

__He can feel Reggie tense up against him. "You have a redhead thing. Jason, Archie..."_ _

__"Please don't say Cheryl.", Jughead says with a laugh._ _

__"Cheryl is way too much woman for you.", Reggie murmurs as Jughead rakes his fingers through his hair._ _

__"Cheryl is probably too much woman for you."_ _

__"Oh hell no."_ _

__They are getting off topic._ _

__"Anyway what do Archie and Jason have to do with this?"_ _

__"You get a little goo-goo eyed over redheads."_ _

__Ok, so he's not wrong._ _

__"So?", Jughead mutters, trying to hide his embarrassment._ _

__The silence seems to stretch on for hours. Jughead playing with Reggie's hair and Reggie breathing in his lap._ _

__"I'm not exactly a redhead.", Reggie says finally._ _

__"So? It's not like this means anything.", Jughead snaps sharply._ _

__That earns him a real genuine flinch from Reggie._ _

One day they are really going to have to talk about whatever _this_ is. 

__Reggie sighs quietly, and Jughead drags his nails over Reggie's scalp. And then Reggie tenses again, "Can you... can you kiss me?"_ _

__Jughead blinks in surprise. Well that's new._ _

__"You don't have to if you don't want to.", Reggie says quickly._ _

__"Fuck it, what the hell.", he says, poking Reggie in the shoulder with his knee. Reggie sits up slowly, hands by his side._ _

__He rests his hand lightly on Reggie's forearm and he presses his lips to Reggie's. It's not exactly a movie kiss, open mouth and tongue and hands all over the place, it's more of a glorified peck - a closed mouth press of lips. But when he pulls back, Reggie still lets out a quiet sigh._ _

__"Do you seriously think Archie and I are...", Jughead says finally._ _

__Reggie shrugs again, "I think you want that. I saw how you looked at him in the lounge."_ _

__Since when was Reggie fucking Mantle this fucking observant._ _

__"So?", Jughead asks sharply. He really wishes Reggie would get to the fucking point already._ _

__"So what happens to this if he...", Reggie waves his hand as though that would finish the sentence._ _

__"He won't. Trust me."_ _

__That drags up vivid memories of cuddling up against Archie in the treehouse, of a few awkward kisses not so different from what Reggie had just asked of him. It also drags up memories of Archie pulling away slowly, less late nights, less time at Pops and then suddenly Archie disappearing from his life._ _

__He shakes his head and repeats himself, "He won't. Trust me."_ _

__Reggie tries to look unaffected but he visibly relaxes._ _

__"Reggie. This doesn't mean anything. It's not exclusive. It's just needs must, sometimes."_ _

__He doesn't know how much longer he can cling to that._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Come visit me at notsolittlegirlevenmorelost.tumblr.com


End file.
